William robinson



(No Model.)

W. ROBINSON.

PIREPLAUB. Na. 549,823) Patented Nov. 12, 1895.

ANDREW BYGRAHIM. PHOTO-WQWASHINGTUMDL UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM ROBINSON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FIREPLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,823, dated November12, 1895. Application filed August 28, 1894:. serial No. 521,533. (Nomodel.) Patented in England August 12, 1893,110. 15,353.

- editor, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFireplaces, (for which I have obtained a patent in GreatBritain, No.15,353, bearing date Au-- gust 12, 1893,) of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 2 ahorizontal section on the line a: a, Fig. 1, showing my hot hearthapplied to a fireplace in such a manner that it forms the bottom of thegrate thereof. 7 Fig. 3 is a trans verse section illustrating anotherform or modification of my said invention. Fig. 4 is a front elevationof part of the hot hearth shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transversesection illustrating a further modification of my invention, and Fig. 6is a similar View showing a still further modification thereof.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the accompanyingdrawings.

The object of my invention is to provide for the better utilization ofthe heat from fires in fireplaces in such a manner as to effect economyin the consumption of fuel therein, While obviating the necessity forthe use of a fender. I accomplish this result by providing a devicewhich I term a combined hot hearth and fender.

This device consists, essentially, of an inner hearth fitting into thefireplace-recess and adapted .to support the fuel and an outer hearthwhich extends to a suitable distance in front of the grate or of thechimneypiece and conveys the heat of the fire into the room, and whichmay also serve, if desired, in place of a fender. The said inner andouter hearths are formed of a single piece of cast metal or othersuitable material, or they are made of two or more pieces fitted orjoined together in any convenient manner. The outer hearth is in someinstances provided around its outer edge with a fender-curb of anydesired section or design.

My improved device can be made of various sizes and shapes to suit anyfireplace, and it may have a monogram, crest, coat-of-arms, orotherornament formed on or secured to its front or outer part.

\Vhen a fire is burning in a fireplace pro vided with my combined hothearth and fender, the heat transmitted to the inner hearth from thefire is conducted to the outer hearth and thereby radiated into theroom. Any available part of the hearth can, moreover, be used forcooking or for other heating purposes.

The hot hearth is preferably arranged at a higher level than the. floorof the room to more efiectually insure an adequate supply of air tothefire and to permit the utilization of the under side of and the spacebeneath the said hot hearth for heating purposes. The air-space beneaththe hot hearth is in some instances left open in the front and at thesides. In other instances it is inclosed by means of a metal plate or inany other convenient manner.

If desired, I provide a door or doors to permit access to the space thusinclosed, in which case the said space can be utilized as an oven or hotchamber for cooking or for warming or keeping warm plates, dishes, orother articles.

In thearrangement shown in Figs. 1. and 2 the hot hearth a is madehollow and is support-ed beneath the grate Gb y means of brickwork b,(orby beingletinto the wall or in any other convenient manner,) thefront or' outer part of the said hearth being provided with suitablelegs 0 for supporting it. The said hearth is shown with a fender-curb ataround the edge of its front or outer part. This fendercurb may,however, be dispensed with, if desired. It will be seen that the frontor outer part of the hot hearth, whether made with or without the curb,serves very efficiently in place of a fender. Moreover, not only does itconduct the heat from the fire and radiate it into the room, but the aircirculating around and beneath it, and also through it, if desired,becomes warmed and thus the apartment can in a short space of time bebrought to the desired temperature and can be maintained at a uniformtemperature more easily than heretofore and with a comparatively-smallconsumption of fuel. Thehot hearth can also be conveniently used forwarming the feet, by resting the feet thereon, or for drying boots,socks, and other articles upon or in the space beneath the same. Kettlesand other cooking utensils or other articles 7 can also be placed uponthe hot hearth for the purpose of warmin g them or keeping them warm, orfor cookin g food or boiling water.

I sometimes form on the hot hearth a projections or ribs 0, which extendupward there from into the grate G and facilitate the transmission ofheat from the fire to the said hot hearth.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. the SllilCObOllOZttll the hot hearth iscompletely inclosed by means of a metal or other plate a extendingaround the front; and sides of the said hot hearth and secured theretoby rivets or otherwise. ()no or more doors a", Fig. 4, may, if desired,be providedin the metal plate (1 to permitaecess to the said space.

According to another modification of my invention, I construct myhothearthas shown, for example, in Fig. 5, so that it can be used with acurb-Iemler f or a tender of any other suitable description.

According to a further modification of my said invention 1 provide forcausing air from the exterior of the building to pass through the spacebeneath the hot hearth and then through a pipe or passage behind or ateither or both sides of the fire into a recess or cavity in the front ofthe fireplace above the fire, iro m which recess or cavity the airpreviously heated in its passage beneath the hot hearth and through theaforesaid pipe is discharged in a series 01 jets or in the form of athin sheet or layerfor example, through a slit or slits between thebrickwork of the chimney and the metal plate supporting the same. Bythis means I am enabled to promote the draft and to cure smoky chimneys.For this purpose I inelose the space beneath the hot hearth and suitablyconnect the said space with a pipe, passage, or tunnel extending to theexterior of the house or other building and with another pipe or passageextending behind or at one side of the fire and communicating with theaforesaid recess or cavity in front of and above the fire. The heatedair is drawn upward through the said passages, the cold air irom theoutside of the house or other lmilding entering the space beneath thehot hearth and gettin \Yfllfll'lOtl. on its way. I have shown anarrangement of this kind in Fig. 0. The air is conveyed from theexterior of the building through 'a pipe 1 into the space inclosed bythe hothearth (I/ and passes thence through a pipe or pipes h at theside or sides of the fire into a recess or cavity j in the brickworkabove the fireplace. From this recess or cavity the heated air isdischarged through the slit or opening 7c in such a manner that; it willmix with the gaseous products of comlnistion rising from the fuel in thegrate.

It is evident that the construction and arrangement of my combined hothearth. and. fender may, if desired, be somewhat modified withoutdeparting from the nature of my said invention and that the saidcombined hot hearth and fender may be used in combination withfireplaces wherein gas or oil or other heating medium, such aselectricity, is used instead of coal or other solid fuel.

\Vhat I claim is 1. The combination with a fire place, of a plate ofheat-conducting material arranged. in said. fire place and elevatedabove the fire place bottom to form an air space beneath the plate, saidplate forming the bottom of a grate and extending to a suitable distancein front of the fire place, and a fire-grate super imposed upon the rearupper portion of said plate, substantially as described.

The combination with a fire place, of a plate of heat conductingmaterial arranged in said place and elevated above the fire place bottomto form an air space beneath the plate, said plate forming the bottom ofa grate and extending to a suitable distance in front of the fire place,a wall or casing around the front and sides of said space, and a firegrate superimposed upon the rear upper portion of said plate,substantially as described.

\VIIJLIAM ROBINSON.

\Vitnesses:

G. T. FREAK, M. BRUSH.

